Railway foot-guard



(Nd Model.)

L S. KEELER.

RAILWAY FOOT GUARD.

Patented Sept. 8, 1885 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

LAFAYETTE SALMON KEELER, OF HOKAH, MINNESOTA.

RAILWAY FOOT-GUARD.

SPEGIPIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,746, dated September 8, 1885.

Application filed July 24, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAFAYETTE SALMON KEELER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hokah, in the county of Houston, in the State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Attachments for Railroad-Frogs, Guard-Rails, &c., of which the following specification is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being also had to the accompanying drawings.

In railroad-frogs, guard-rails, 850., there necessarily occur tapering cavities between the rails at several points, and many serious and fatal accidents have happened by reason of the feet of railroad operatives becoming inextricably caught in such cavities, and to avoid such accidents is the object of my invention.

In the drawings I have shown, in Figure 1, the invention applied to the frog and guard-rail ofa switch-crossing. Theinvention may be applied to any part of a railroadtrack which contains cavities that are dangerous to the operatives; but generally such cavities occur only at switch-crossings, as shown in Fig. 1, which is a plan view of a section of a railroadtrack, showing the frog and guardrail of a switch-crossing with my improved guards shown arranged therein. Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of sections of a pair of rails with one of the guards shown in position between them. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the guards. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the guards detached, showing a slight variation in its construction.

A represents one of the main rails of the track; B, one of the guard-rails, and O a frog formed and arranged in the ordinary manner.

D represents the curved metal plates or foot-guards inserted between the rails A and B and into all the tapering cavities in the frog in which it is possible for the foot of a person to become caught. One of the plates D is shown arranged between two rails in Fig. 2. The plates will be formed with their edges a adapted to rest in "contact with the lowerinner corners of the treads of the rails, and will be curved slightly downward and extend across from rail to rail, and will be supported from below by upwardly curved plates or stays E, which rest by their edges b upon the lower flanges or bases of the rails, as shown.

By this means the plates D will be firmly held in place and supported between the rails. Under some circumstances smaller stayrods (1 may be attached to the edges ofthe stayplates E to project upward beneath the treads of the rails and prevent the guards D from being moved upward. Stay-rods 6 may also be attached to the plates D, and adapted to be extended to some point on one of the rails or to the nearest tie F, to which it will be attached, as shown, to support the guard and prevent any end movement thereto. The ends of the plates D may be provided with extensions bent downward to prevent the foot of the operatives from becoming caught beneath their ends, or the stay-rods 6 may be formed to accomplish this result.

The plate D and its attachments will generally be of steel, but may be of any other suitable material.

In Fig. 4.- is shown a slight variation in the manner of constructing the plate D, consisting in forming it in two overlapping parts, D D pivoted together at one end at h, and the two parts adapted "to be set nearer together or farther apart by means of a slot, g, and rivet and bolt so as to make the guard adjustable to fit between the rails.

Having described my invention and set fort-h its merits, what I claim -is 1. The combination, with the plate D, adapted to be insertedbetween the rails of railroad-frogs, guard-rails, 850., of a supporting stayplate E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the 7 plate D, adapted to be inserted between the rails of railroad-frogs, guard-rails, &c., of a support ing stay-plate, E, and stay-rod e, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the plate D, adapted to be inserted between the rails of railroad-frogs, guard rails, &c., of a supporting stay-plate, E, and stay-rods -d,-substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAFAYETTE SALMON KEELER.

p Witnesses:

DAVID HoUsE, HENRY L. HOHL. 

